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Curated Torah sources across every topic, from classical texts to contemporary responsa.
Kaddish: Laws, Obligations, and Customs
These sources address the halachic requirements for reciting Kaddish in a communal setting, including the obligation of a minyan of ten adult males, the proper wording and congregational responses, and customs governing when and how mourners and others recite Kaddish in prayer services.
כל דבר שבקדושה אי אפשר בפחות מעשרה מישראל
Shofar and Shabbat: Why the Mitzvah Is Suspended
These sources explain the rabbinic enactment that prohibits sounding the shofar when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat, despite the Torah's association of the holiday with the shofar blast. The sources address the reasoning behind the decree—a concern that people might carry the shofar to an expert—and discuss exceptions that applied in the Temple and among established courts.
גזירה שמא יטלנו בידו לילך אצל בקי
Electric Shavers and Jewish Law
Jewish sources examine whether electric shavers are permitted for shaving the beard and sidelocks, tracing the classical distinction between razor shaving and other cutting methods through medieval and modern decisors.
אינו חייב על השחתת פאת הזקן אלא בתער אבל במספרים מותר
Conversion and Reproductive Disability in Jewish Law
Jewish law distinguishes between restrictions on marriage within the Jewish community and eligibility for conversion. Sources address whether a person with reproductive injury—whether from illness, accident, or birth—may convert to Judaism, and clarify that such individuals are permitted to marry converts or freed slaves despite restrictions on marrying born Jews.
מוּתָּרִין בְּגִיּוֹרֶת וּמְשׁוּחְרֶרֶת
Bloodstains on Colored Garments and Minimum Size
These sources address the halakhic treatment of bloodstains found on colored clothing, including why colored garments receive leniency in stain assessment and what minimum measure (shiur gris) a stain must reach to create ritual prohibitions. The sources examine both the Torah-based and rabbinically-ordained aspects of these laws.
לא גזרו על הכתם אלא אם כן יש בו כגריס ועוד
Bikkurim Baskets and Honoring the Poor
Sources examine the halakhic distinction in how the kohanim treated the ritual vessels used to bring first fruits: metal baskets of the wealthy were returned to their owners, while wicker baskets of the poor became priestly property. The tradition illuminates how Jewish law protects the dignity of those with limited means while benefiting the priesthood.
בתר עניא אזלא עניותא
The Order and Laws of Levayat Ha-Met
Sources detailing the structure of a funeral procession, including who walks before and after the bier, the roles of pallbearers and their replacements, and the obligations incumbent on mourners and bystanders during removal to burial. The sources span from Tanakh through medieval and later halakhic codes.
נוֹשְׂאֵי הַמִּטָּה וְחִלּוּפֵיהֶן אֶת שֶׁלִּפְנֵי הַמִּטָּה וְאֶת שֶׁלְּאַחַר הַמִּטָּה
Interrupting Torah Study for the Dead
These sources examine whether one must interrupt Torah study or work to accompany a deceased person to burial, and whether the presence of a professional burial society (chevra kadisha) exempts individuals from this obligation. The sources balance the competing values of Torah study, communal responsibility, and honoring the dead.
לֵב חֲכָמִים בְּבֵית אֵבֶל
The Laws of Levaya: Accompanying the Deceased
These sources address the halakhic obligations and procedures for accompanying a deceased person to burial, including the proper order of the funeral procession, who must walk before and after the bier, and the status of those participating in the levaya with regard to prayer and other observances.
נוֹשְׂאֵי הַמִּטָּה וְחִלּוּפֵיהֶן, וְחִלּוּפֵי חִלּוּפֵיהֶן
Love as a Condition for Birkat Kohanim
Sources examine whether and how love (ahava) functions as a requirement for the kohen to validly perform the priestly blessing. Classical halakhic texts discuss the kohen's proper orientation, disposition, and spiritual state during Birkat Kohanim.
כל כהן דלא רחים לעמא או עמא לא רחמין ליה לא ישא כפיו
Shemitah as Trust in Divine Provision
Sources explore how the sabbatical year's fallow fields embody Israel's trust that God provides abundance before human labor resumes. The laws train renunciation of possessive control and dependence on divine direction.
שבת לה׳
Rashi on Halakhic Authority and Tradition
These sources explore Rashi's understanding of how halakhic rulings are established and transmitted through rabbinic authority. The passages address the principle that practical halakhic interpretation is entrusted to qualified sages and judges, and that their determinations—whether declaring something permitted or forbidden—are binding on the community.
אִלּוּ הָיְתָה בַשָּׁמַיִם, הָיִיתָ צָרִיךְ לַעֲלוֹת אַחֲרֶיהָ לְלָמְדָהּ